Herb Day to benefit Botanical Gardens

On Sept. 12, the Gulf Coast Herb Society and the Mobile Botanical Gardens will present a day dedicated to everything herbal.

The event will feature seminars, cooking demonstrations, growing tips and other useful tips for utilizing herbs in the kitchen.

Herb Day 2009 will be from 9 a.m.-noon at the Mobile Botan ical Gardens, 5151 Museum Drive in Mobile. Cost is $25 and seating is limited.

Chef Stacy McIntosh and Chef Elizabeth Gregory of Spoons and Whisks Personal Catering Service will prepare recipes featuring herbs. They will also be answering questions on how to incorporate herbs into your own recipes.

The emphasis is on culinary herbs with a presentation titled "Cooking with Herbs." Another demonstration will be focus on growing herbs in the home garden, with special emphasis on herbs that do well in our climate.

Proceeds from the event will be used to fund upkeep of the herb garden at the Mobile Botanical Gardens. Maintenance of the garden is the main mission of the herb society, along with educating the rest of us on herbs.

For information on the event or to register, call the Mobile Botanical Gardens at 342-0555.

Herb Butter Makes cup cm HALF cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

1 tablespoon minced fresh pars ley

cm HALF teaspoon dried thyme

Dash garlic powder

Dash cayenne pepper

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Serve over hot cooked vegetables; refrigerate leftovers.